Ticket to Ride
by pfauley
Summary: The New York Subway.. those dirty, metal bins ended up being the vehicle of their future, and love was the destination...Dantana
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee or any of its bitches.**

**AN: Well, this is my first story on FF- actually, my first story in general. I guess we'll just see how it goes- Also, this chapter is super short because something came up and I couldn't finish it- but another will probably be up by the end of tomorrow... HAPPY READING**

….

**Third person POV**

The New York Subway… it's one of those places where everything just seems to come together: social classes, personalities, germs… It pretty much epitomizes what is "New York City." Disgusting to some, sure, but to two women in particular, at first, it was simply a means of transportation. But those dirty, metal bins ended up being the vehicle of their future, and love was the destination.

….

It was a Monday and Santana was not happy about it. She'd spend the day waiting on tables, like always. Or, to be more accurate, she'd really be waiting on perverts and constantly cleaning up the juice and god-knows-what that some careless, crying toddler knocked over (for the first time, if she was lucky). She was not excited to resume the glamorous life that she found herself in.

"No, for shit's sake! I don't want your over-excitable fingers all over my dinner! I'll make myself something acceptable and free of dead troll skin when I get home tonight. No. Nope. I'm leaving now. NO! Goodbye!" Santana ended the call and shoved her cellphone in one of the countless pockets of her trench coat. She wore the oversized thing not to make a statement of sorts, no. She actually wore it to avoid doing exactly that, seeing as she figured prancing around New York in her bright red uniform from the diner would probably not be the best idea, considering it would 1. Be far too reminiscent of her old cheerleading uniform and days- a time which she did not want to re-live 2. Be far too enjoyable for the eyes of those walking on the public and cold concrete sidewalks that made up her daily route. 3. Be… well… not ideal for walking over steam-emitting potholes or sitting on the train for 40 minutes- with the skirt's ridiculously short nature, the subway seat's ridiculously sticky nature and the average middle-aged male commuter's ridiculously disgusting nature.

So, she walked down the stairs of her normal station, not enjoying the challenge that her high-heeled, red, pleather boots were posing her. But, she dealt with that as she had every other day; however, not without entertaining the idea of taking one of those nice, skinny heels and shoving it up Gunther's tight ass as a "thank you" for letting her wear such _great _outfits to work!

The train was there when she arrived, so she boarded the first car, sat down, and took a minute to appreciate something as simple as a perfectly timed train. She found herself doing that often these days; taking a moment to stop everything in recognition that something seemingly miniscule went so right when it could have easily gone so wrong and cast negativity on her mood and on the rest of her day.

So, she sat and shut her eyes. She inhaled deeply through her nose, the corners of her mouth rising slightly, as if she was lifting them with the intake of her breath. Her eyes opened slowly as she began to exhale, only to be closed hard as she saw some sorry bastard try to pry open the closing doors of what had been Santana's empty, personal subway car.

"Ughh fuck me," the seated woman mumbled under her breath as she attempted to calm herself down from the anger she was feeling. No one ever came into this car on this train. It was _her_ car. Somehow she had managed to secure the exclusivity of that first car, whether it be through luck or through the death-stares she gave to anyone that joined her, only to be frightened into the car over after one stop.

"Shit," Dani whispered as she caught sight of an unexpected body sitting in the car that she'd just walked into. She used to be in the routine of getting on this exact car every morning because it was empty, but that was years ago. It occurred to her that it_ had_ in fact been years since she was able to take the subway daily and it wasn't exactly reasonable to expect the same solitude, but part of her was still hopeful that her special spot had been reserved over all this time.

Santana examined the newcomer under judgmental eyes, but eventually decided to accept the fact that her sole reign over subway car #1 had come to an end. She'd never done this before, welcome another person onto her car. But, she found herself sympathetic towards the woman who was now sitting diagonal from her in an attempt to avoid what Santana assumed to be eye-contact, not recognition. Both women were wearing long trench coats, which the Latina knew was never a top choice in attire for women their age, so she assumed that this mystery woman had something to hide, just like Santana. Given, the newcomer's coat was white, leather and obviously more expensive than that of the Bushwick-resident's, but Santana was still intrigued.

Little did she know, the same thoughts were going through Dani's head as well.

…..

**AN: I know this is really short but I've gotta run- I'll probably post another chapter today, but I wanted to get something up while it was on my mind. If you've got any comments as far as POV, etc. then feel free to leave a comment, blah blah blah. **

**WOW OKAY FIRST CHAPTER UP THIS IS GOOD OKAY YES LET'S DO THIS**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own shit**

**AN: sooooo I tend to neglect anything I write and it can basically be expected that there will be typos and sentences that make no sense because I like to make things super long and overcomplicated. ANYWAY, enjoy. **

...

**Third person POV (Assume it will be this unless stated otherwise from now on)**

Dani sat herself down in the corner of the car, diagonal from the other woman. The blonde had to be careful about what she did and how she held herself, even if she was just on a subway car. She was a celebrity now; she couldn't let her guard down.

Her view of the woman was distorted and dark, thanks to her huge-ass, stupid-ass sunglasses. Dani was always resentful of those; she was indoors, for Christ's sake. She was just tired of it… of all the hiding in general, really. She hated the trench coat. -Actually, she quite liked the trench coat. It was beautiful and white and leather. She did disprove of the fact that it was leather because of her morals and stubbornness, but it was a gift so she excused herself when wearing it. It was also hooded, which made her feel fucking badass. But, she still hated that the hood was constantly up and that she had to cover up so much in the first place.

She was never one to avoid attention or the spotlight; both of which largely contributed to her success in the entertainment industry. She thought it ironic that when she _did_ make it in that world, she had to start hiding and covering up more than ever.

An exasperated sigh pulled Dani from her not-uncommon existential and deep inner thoughts. The hooded woman looked up slightly and pushed the shades down to examine the irritated woman better. She was beautiful. And coincidentally, also dressed in a body covering coat; but beautiful nonetheless.

Nope. Dani let out a breath. She did not have time for beautiful women right now. Not here. Not on a fucking subway car. _No_. Not in general.

She unconsciously scoffed a little as she realized the source of the darker skinned girl's frustration; heels.

"Excuse me?" Santana's ears perked and her head shot up from struggling with her shoes so that her wide, accusing eyes meet precisely with the innocent ones resting on a shocked Dani's face. The blonde didn't realize until that moment that any noise had actually left her mouth.

"Sorry- that probably came out wrong. I just feel your pain." Dani quickly recovered- it was something she had learned to do early on after she entered the field of entertainment. She slipped up on occasion- scratch that- quite often, actually. But, she was confident and clever and well spoken. She was good.

Santana didn't respond. All she did was lower her gaze to Dani's feet- dressed not in tight, blistering heels, but in combat boots. She looked back to stare at the other woman. And it was not a pleasant stare, to say the least.

"Oh, yeah no- I dress comfortably when I'm just walking around or commuting.." Dani proceeded to unzip her oversized purse, pulling out a pair of black boots, not unlike Santana's. "..I just keep these packed away as long as possible and only put them when necessary. Feet can only take so much abuse, you know?" She ended it with a small smile; a cherry on top.

"…oh." Santana wasn't expecting anything like that, let alone for the woman to stand her ground as well as she did. She was absolutely and completely unfazed by Santana's harsh demeanor.

As mentioned, Dani was good.

Those were the only words exchanged between the two for the rest of the ride. The rest of it was filled with vacant stares and occupied thoughts.

….

Work had ended for Santana and she descended the stairs of her usual end-of-day station. Unfortunately for her, she was too busy checking the weather and thanking baby Jesus that Spring was finally coming around that she stepped onto the platform just as lights began to flicker and as her train was starting to pick up speed, exiting the station. She began to curse herself, but corrected her thoughts and focused her loathing on the weather, the train, MTA, Berry, god, baby Jesus, what-have-you.

She had more reason than she knew to be cursing all of those things, too; she hadn't even known that mystery girl was slowly being swept away by the magic carpet that was public transit, mile by mile. The world was deliberately displacing Santana from the girl whom she would never admit she had a newfound attraction and interest in. What made it worse was that the feelings were mutual.

And so the women were set to wait another day, and their paths would cross again.

…..

**AN: T****hanks everyone for the bit of feedback I've already gotten and just the favorites and follows. It's a weird feeling - it's just kinda surreal to think that people are reading this and some of you are enjoying it too :)**

**BUT ANYWAY, THANKS AGAIN AND HAVE A LOVELY DAY**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Nope none of it**

**READ AWAY**

…

Days passed. Nothing had happened between the two. They'd look at each other, then look away. That was all there was. It was Thursday.

But it was this Thursday, this day that Santana made a move. Not exactly a move on Dani, but a _general_ move. It wasn't flirtatious; it wasn't aggressive, even; it was simply a sign to show the other girl that Santana was ready to play whatever the game was that Dani was interested in playing.

Dani hadn't even made a pawn of the Latina; the woman was a stranger... the woman was a _stranger_; a strange woman whom Dani just so happened to cross paths with daily. _Dani_ who was a _celebrity_ who could not get _involved with anyone_.

With her own thoughts restricting her from approaching the woman as she would have had she been in any other situation, Dani exercised her cunning ability to observe. And observe, she did.

She _observed_ the dark-skinned, long-legged, goddess of a woman everyday. She _observed_ the way she'd wear a trench coat to cover what she wore, just as Dani did herself. She _observed_ the fact that she was hiding a red uniform; waitress, the watcher assumed. She _observed_ the fact that this showcased modesty, though the woman had notably kick-ass legs, which Dani assumed would not hesitate in kicking _actual_ ass, judging by what she had _observed_ to be an incredibly short temper that the brunette sported so proudly. (She _observed_ the phone-calls that Santana would resume as she walked out of the station).

Appropriately, Dani _observed_ that this all meant that they lived close and lived in sync, as far as their schedules went.

Dani also _observed_ the sexual tension- the mutual intrigue each woman had for one another- and the fact that it grew everyday. Most of all, she _observed_ the fact that she felt so uncommonly, _undeniably_ sure that she would be so painfully compatible with this woman; the woman whom she had spoken to so carelessly and so rarely, at that... and she _observed_ that this lone fact scared the living hell out of her, because for once in her life, she didn't know what to do.

Lucky for her, all these thoughts were running through Dani's head as she retired to bed on Wednesday evening; the evening _before_ Thursday; the Thursday on which Dani stepped onto subway car #1 and _observed_ something out of the ordinary; something that would change everything.

Santana, overcome with boldness, wore slippers to work that Thursday morning.

"AHA!" Dani nearly squealed as she stood in front of the closing doors. "You finally decided to take my advice- holy shit- about time!"

"Well good morning, woman I've spoken to once in my life! Thank you kindly for your valuable_ observations _and input! I've really gained so much from it." She was smug and irritated, as if that didn't translate through her words, so damp with sarcasm.

She was also not expecting what would happen in the following seconds.

Dani brushed off every word, every syllable of ill-intent right off of her perfectly sculpted shoulder and onto the moldy floor of the shaking alloy box; she brushed them off and sat herself comfortably next to the now fuming woman adjacent to her.

"Now that you've taken some of my _expert_ advice _and _decided to speak up, we're going to do more things that I think you- _we_ should do!" She grinned. "Firstly, seeing as we're apparently subway buddies, I'm going to get to know you a bit, alright?" No response. "Alright! So, tell me, do you like music?" This time, Dani didn't even wait for a reply- She simply unplugged her earplugs from her phone and turned the sound up, filling the small, uncomfortably enclosed room with the musical stylings of none else but Beyoncé Knowles. "CAUSE YOU'D BEST LIKE MUSIC IF YOU WANNA BE RIDIN IN THIS HERE PARTY CAR!" And just like that, Dani began singing along.

The whole scene was laughable, but Santana couldn't even bring herself to do that.

"Holy. Shit." Santana mouthed, as her actual words were inaudible and as her eyes darted from side to side, eventually landing on the ceiling as her body slid down her seat. She didn't know what to do; what to think; how to react. Who _does_ in this situation? Who has ever _been_ in this situation? Who the _hell_ just gets up and starts belting to Beyoncé in a next-to-completely-empty subway car at 5:30 in the AM?

At this point, Dani was standing up and trying to get Santana to "enjoy the music" with her. But, she stopped when she finally saw the other woman react; it had been multiple seconds of staring and Dani had honestly assumed that the girl was just in a trance.

"I hope to _god_ you aren't acting like this because you don't like Beyoncé. She's a fucking queen and I will whoop your sorry ass if you say or think anything less." Santana simply perked an eyebrow. "UNWORTHY! YOU ARE UNWORTHY! OH HELL NO, I AM SWITCHING CARS HOLY SHIT YOU'RE ARE A LESSER BREED THAN I AND OF THE HUMAN RACE!"

Santana was frantic, not only because the woman in front of her was seemingly having a meltdown over fucking _Beyoncé_, but because Santana felt that she was actually making progress up until then. She decided in that moment that she would regain her footing and reinstate her typical in-charge, confident personality; the in-charge, confident personality that she had lost sight of ever since this fucking _mystery of a woman_ stepped onto her train and into her life.

Dani froze- The woman was reaching for her phone- _her lockscreen_- It was a picture of her in front of a crowd of screaming fans, all holding up signs with her name- her _face_- on them. The realization hit her hard; she had been acting as she would have five years ago, before her subway routine went on a hiatus and her career took off. She couldn't just _do_ this sort of thing with- _to_ a stranger; she could be recognized; she could be photographed; she could be attacked; she could be _ruined_.

But it was too late. Dani's breath hitched audibly as she saw the light of her phone illuminate the face of a flawless, unpredictable stranger.

…

**AN: ****I feel kind of weird about this chapter. I don't know if it went in exactly the direction that I would have liked, but I think it works for now. If you've got any other ideas or opinions on it, I'm all ears.**

**Sorry again if there are any typos~**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Nope none okay**

**AN: Soo I decided that I think I do like the last chapter- so that's good!**

**Ps. This chapter has some… colorful language? So just a heads up, if that bothers you**

….

"fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…." Dani continued to mumble through her jaw, clenched as her eyes were in fear of what was about to happen.

The music stopped. Her ears burned with the silence; they buzzed with the emptiness that filled the singular second that she allowed to slip by before she blurted out what she swore to keep inside.

"FUCK I'M FAMOUS OKAY?... okay? Fuck fucking shit FUCK"

Santana just kind of stared at her after that. She had just turned on the phone to pause the music, seeing as it was far too loud to hold any kind of conversation, which was exactly what the Latina had been planning to attempt. There was no secret told when she pressed power; there was no lock screen to be seen- only Beyoncé cover art. But Dani didn't know that.

Then there was Santana, who knew no better than to assume that the woman falling apart in front of her was simply another New Yorker gone crazy; some outlandish person who rode the train… it really wasn't something out of the ordinary, but it just wasn't how Santana had expected this to play out; how she expected the _woman_ to play out. But, she was left to believe that she had been sharing her subway car #1 with a lunatic all along.

They were both oblivious in their own right.

….

It's funny- the story about their first kiss that they'll end up telling their kids won't be all that accurate. It won't be a tale of this day, but of another. But nevertheless, it was this subway ride that Dani first felt the lips of this impossibly important stranger whom she had sworn out of her star-studded life.

This is how it happened:

Santana shoved aside any misgivings, which were only growing with the realization that this other woman was "crazy." Suddenly, the space between the two was non-existent. Not with a kiss, no; but with an embrace.

It was Santana's new goal to comfort this mystery of a woman- sane or not.

Dani was shaking the whole time. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't this. She'd figured that the stranger would have recognized her even in sunglasses and covered in thick clothing if the woman had been a die-hard fan. The only hugs she'd received recently were from people precisely in that category- and those ones were suffocating and unpleasant. But this- _this_ hug- was not anything like that; it was quite the contrary;

It was calming.

Secretly, it had this effect on both the women standing there in the empty, fast-moving subway car. The world above them was separated by layers upon layers of cement and dirt and earth. They were truly alone in their underground embrace.

The waitress and the celebrity… What an interesting pair.

…..

The remaining minutes of their bi-daily journey ended as it had begun: separately. But that is only how they left; the trip leading up to that was spent together, in near silence, in the midst of unknown thoughts, fears, worries and an embrace which temporarily erased all those things from their minds. But in their departure, all that was left were the dregs of the events that had occurred in the past half hour, left only to be recalled in their minds.

Dani continuously attempted to replay the feelings; the feelings which she had been deprived of for so long; they were alien to her, in the fast-paced, professional world that she now lived in. She longed for more feelings like that.

But, to the celebrity's dismay, she could not recreate them; she couldn't do it justice. The closest she could come to revel and relive those moments was in the conversation; it occurred somewhere in the middle of all the madness of her life and the serendipity of the embrace she shared, which somehow held her up beneath all the impossible pressure.

_Her eyes were shut. Even if she tried to open them, they would just open to meet the soft blackness of a dark trench coat. She was moving her head to a position where she wouldn't have to deal with the unpleasant feeling of soaked cloth against her raw skin when she heard a noise apart from the screeching wheels against their tracks or the harsh metal clashing with more harsh metal; it was then when Santana spoke for the first time since Dani's meltdown at the beginning of their commute:_

"_So you're a celebrity. You're a celebrity, and I'm gay.. And Betty White is old and Oprah is black and Lady Gaga is just straight up weird-_ big friggin' deal_. It's okay. I'm okay and you're going to be okay too, okay?" She lifted the other woman's head gently by her chin to look into her eyes. "Look at me—" _

"_Dani.." She filled in sheepishly as she sniffled. She didn't understand why this woman was so kind, let alone so unfazed by it all… Come to think of it, Santana didn't know why either, although for different reasons._

"_Look at me, Dani. We're okay. We're alright. We're gay, we're celebrities,- who gives a _shit?_ We're whatever the fuck it is that we are. We are not _words._ When you look at me, you aren't going to think 'homo or fag or satan…' I _hope-_" She stopped to see Dani nod and then resumed her little pep-talk, "and when I look at you, I'm not going to think 'rich or selfish _or celebrity_.' I'm going to see you and think 'beatiful, myserious Dani.' And you're going to see me and think 'stupidly-sentimental, stranger-lovin Santana.' And that's that."_

_And just like that, Santana planted a chaste, reserved, but tellingly caring kiss on the fragile forehead of the equally fragile woman she had learned to be Dani._

_A kiss.._

..the first of what was sure to be many.

….

**AN: Oh lordy I'm sure this one has plenty of typos. I'll get around to fixing those up eventually…**

**And I know it probably seems like it's moving pretty fast and easily, but that's just for this chapter. I thought it was necessary for the situation **

**Do you guys like this length or should I hold off and write more before I post/just post longer chapters but a bit less frequently?**

**Happy weekend :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not gonna fuckin say it**

**AN: YOU GUYS ARE ALL SO NICE GOD DAMN ! Here's a new chapter- I decided I'd try one outside of the subway car even though I was originally thinking that the whole thing would take place in there. But the more I think about it, the more I think that would just be restricting rather than interesting, in the long run. Anyway, I guess we'll see how it goes~**

….

Jingle. Click. Slam. Keys. Exaggerated sigh. Click. Slam. Water.

Santana rested her shoulders on the sink and her forehead in her hands.

"Oh god." She looked up to meet her gaze in the mirror. "Oh _god_." Her determined hands went straight for the mouthwash.

….

She was alone. She was staring at the orange juice on the kitchen counter, contemplating whether or not to swallow anything after contaminating her own mouth with the freakish germs of some deluded stranger.

"SANTANA! Helloooo! Fancy meetin' you here!" She booped her shoulder- yes, _booped._ "How was your day? Mine. Was. _Extraordinary._ You would _not_ believe it! _Eep!_"

She wasn't really alone.

"If you know what's best for you, you will unhand me- I will take the bobby pins right out of your Toddlers in Tiaras hair, pin your eyelids to your pinapple-sized forehead and pour this entire glass of orange juice into the gaping, empty holes in the middle of your poop-brown, disgusting irises in hopes of getting to that musical little brain of yours, but I think we'll all be disappointed considering you can't spill orange juice on something that doesn't exist. Step. Away." Her words were flat as Rachel's hands now were against Santana stomach in the posterior-initiated hug.

"Well…. _Okay then_…" The girl said carefully as she backed away, knowing Santana's threats were far from empty. "_Anyway_, you tell me about your day first and then I'll _blow you away_ with the details of mine!" Rachel had become immune to the lasting effects of Santana's words, but she _did_ know not to push it. But, she did squeal and clap her hands together in her trademark fashion, soliciting a death-glare from her roommate.

"Hmm…" Santana tilted her head and plastered on her best near-flat, jeering smile. "_Well_, I gave to the homeless today! More specifically, I gave a crazy woman DNA! _From my mouth! _Whoopie!" She clapped and squealed. "What about _you_, dear hobbit!?"

Throughout Santana's rant, Rachel's face morphed from disapproving to disgusted to disapproving and back to disgusted again.

"First of all, I do _not _appreciate you _mocking_ me and my extravagant, yet charming, personality and personal gesticulations and habits every time that I try to have a civil conversation with you. _Secondly_, ew, Santana! You _cannot_ do that! Do you _know_ what some of these people touch throughout the day? What they _eat? _Who _else_ they might be _sharing DNA_ with?" She said the last part in a low tone, as she thought it to be implying something utterly scandalous. "You could get sick! All those germs! You could get _mouth herpes_!" She brought her hand to her mouth with a gasp. "Even _worse_… you could get _scurvey!_"

Santana had seemingly lost interest the moment the other woman opened her mouth and was now resuming her stare-down with the beverage on the table.

"Jesus, calm your little hobbit tits. I only kissed her forehead." She turned around, grabbing the protruding edges of the granite countertop behind her as she continued. "Besides, don't you have to be like an honorary pirate to get scurvy, anyway? And doesn't it have to do with like lack of Vitamin C or—ugh you know what I don't give a fuck whatever. I'm going to my room. I'd appreciate it if you could- though I know you won't- keep this little conversation to yourself and try to restrain from informing Princess Boy when he returns from whatever fairyland he's in _this_ time. I know how much you two love to go on your middle-school field days with your J-14 gossip!" And with that, she left the room, scoffing as she shut the door.

Rachel was beyond confused. "What? J-14? THAT DIDN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE, SANTANA! WE WILL DISCUSS THIS LATER!" With a swift motion, she turned from facing the direction her roommate had stormed off to, crossed her arms, and locked eyes with something on the counter. She quickly grabbed the glass of OJ and took a tiny sip. She closed her eyes, exhaled once through her nose, then downed the entire thing. "I _refuse_ to rely on my non-pirate heritage to protect me from scurvy. I fully intend on maintaining my flawless, pearly whites for as long as my fruitful career as an entertainer requires me to." She finished her quick statement to herself with a nod and walked off with her chin high.

…..

**AN: AHHHH super super short and I haven't had a chance to proof read this but I really wanted to get it up ASAP! Hopefully you guys don't mind the brief break from Dantana- It'll be back before you know it ;) ALSO, if you haven't noticed by now- I'm really inconsistent with writing/posting, etc. I'm just writing this as I go and I'm pretty must posting instantly- so just a heads up :)**

**AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR READING AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF THAT YOU GUYS DO**

**YOU ARE ALL SO GREAT**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: ugh**

**AN: So I know I haven't stated it, but this story is AU as far as: 1. Some of the friendships change (as far as who knows who, etc.) and 2. Their ages vary - i.e. Dani is 25 and Santana is 19 or 20- just assume that the other people are about the same age as whichever of those two they know/live with/etc.**

**and also, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 (this one) are both kind of filler but I figured I'd give some background for the two :)**

**WELL NOW THAT THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY- ENJOY~**

….

"It's me." Dani sighed into the buzzer as she released the button. She always liked the fact that even though it was a high scale skyscraper for the "elite of New York," whoever was in charge had been keen enough to add sensible, homey touches like the classic "buzz-in." As her heels clicked against the marble floors of the lobby, she raised her hand in unspoken acknowledgement of the security guard, who mirrored her gesture and continued eyeing those who entered the building. She wouldn't normally be wearing heels, as explained previously, but she had forgotten to change back into her boots _and _ she'd left her purse at her agents office by accident. It was the perfectly accidental unpleasantry that had graced the end of her equally as _enchanting_ day.

The elevator was dark when she got inside. She was still wearing the sunglasses- those _god damn _sunglasses. She really had learned to keep them on at all times- _specifically_ when riding the elevator. In her _own building_, she has been knocked to the ground of the moving container countless times by girls- and occasionally boys- of all ages. _Just because daddy is rich and is probably currently masterminding a Ponzi scheme doesn't mean that his little girl should be deprived of snapping a quick selfie with her favorite pop-star!... Even if it was technically in the privacy of said pop-star's own home..._ She could literally go nowhere without some sort of disguise, these days.

The ride was always long and she'd always pretend to be texting on her phone, head down- just in case. She escaped the shaft as a deep sigh did likewise from her mouth. With a few steps to the right, she faced the arched door of her apartment, "Penthouse 5503-" Sure, it was _technically_ a "penthouse-" she wasn't going to live a less-than-extraordinary life when she had the money and opportunity to do otherwise, but she also wasn't going to give into the discriminatory culture of the highbrow, black-tie, born-into-money bastards that she dealt with daily, let alone put _herself_ next to them, on that same pedestal- even if it was just by using a different term for home. In her eyes, her home was her home, and the style of her home was parallel to that of an apartment; it was nothing more and nothing less… And it certainly wasn't a "penthouse."

…Besides… she had roommates. That was a normal thing of her to have, right?

…..

"Oh honey.." Mercedes sighed as she looked at the screen. Dani's hood was down and her glasses were finally off, revealing the heavy, damp bags under her worn out eyes. She could be seen inside as she smiled half-heartedly and waved into the camera positioned in the top right corner of the wall, right above the entrance. The system was there for security and for her own safety; the blonde acknowledged that- but that didn't mean that she didn't resent it, specifically in moments like these where she was confident that once her nosey roommates took in her disheveled appearance on the monitors, they wouldn't simply let it slide- she acknowledged and resented _that_ just as well.

From the high ceilings to the elaborate chandelier that they held up, everything seemed a little less welcoming than they had the day before. Even the hug she'd received from Mercedes as she entered; she'd known from the first second that it wasn't 100% genuine; that there was an ulterior motive [whether or not it was spawned from 100% genuine concern is beside the point]. Everything just seemed a little more complicated right now.

"Honey, honey, honey… What happened to your pretty lil pale face?"

The struggling woman couldn't help but smile a little at her friend's quirky terms of endearment, but as she processed the question, she quickly resorted to whining instead of explaining. "Ugghhhh nothinggggg." She snaked herself under and out of the dark woman's arms with her own flailing about.

"You are a five year-old." Dani pouted as she averted her eyes of Mercedes' disapproving scolding, which only persisted. "You're gonna sit your cute bitch ass down and talk to me about whatever the hell made this mascara run down those lovely pink cheeks of yours." Mercedes' actions responded to her words as she journeyed to the kitchen and back to get a wet paper towel to rid her friend's face of the ruined makeup.

"I'm not a five-year-old!" her nose scrunched and her eyes squeezed shut as she pulled the soggy paper out of the other woman's palm and into her own. "UGH. I am _not_ five and I can do this myself. _Jesus_." She opened her eyes again to look into the pair of brown eyes in front of her.

They remained open for only a few moments, but as the intensity of both Mercedes' skeptical stare and the trembling of the singer's full bottom lip increased, they slammed shut again- The short moment of silence, broken with the sudden sobbing of a terribly confused, conflicted and overly-strained woman.

"Oh lordy… TINA! GET OUT HERE! WE'VE GOT A CELEBRITY MELTDOWN ON OUR HANDS!" Her voice went from booming to calming in a split second, "Come here, baby. Tell Mama Mercedes what's on your mind, honey." She held her again, only this time to have the action reciprocated.

"I'm not five…" the whisper could barely be heard through the heart-breaking sniffles whose origin it shared.

"I know, I know… I know you're not, honey…"

…..

Tina, Mercedes and Dani all sat in the living room. The latter was sitting upright, wrapped in a blanket, constantly wiping her nose to prevent anything from falling into the fresh mug of hot chocolate that she was holding just inches from her face. The other two were watching her intently, sitting a few feet away with their backs leaning against the salvaged wood coffee table that sat between their TV screen and the couch that their broken roommate was currently occupying. The were waiting, apprehensive but patient, for the drinking girl to initiate the rare conversation that every one of them knew was coming- Dani had never fallen apart like this before. She wasn't one to fall apart in general, most of the time. And when she did, it was never in front of anyone but her teddy bear.

Eventually, the silence was broken- how is not important. The conversation began and ended in two hours, with the topic of interest jumping from work to insecurities, to TV show cancellations, to the mysterious stranger and to everything else that had been haunting Dani for the past months. Her interaction with Santana was not the epicenter of the troubled woman's worries; the new lady in her life was simply the straw that broke the camel's back- She _was_ only a "stranger" to Dani, after all…

Before she knew it, Dani was walking into the subway station the next morning. As she made her way down the steps, she held in her hand no burlap sack filled to the brim with hay, but a single, backbreaking straw, upon which she intended to build anew.

What she was building, she did not know.

…but if you were to ask fate, she would tell you to take your best guess and enjoy the ride.

….

**AN: "RIDE" …IT'S A RIDE LIKE A SUBWAY RIDE DO YOU GET IT? IT'S A PUN! A+ Hilarity. **

**Hopefully the whole "straw" thing makes some sense.. I feel like I may have overcomplicated it but oh well!**

**DANTANA WILL RETURN NEXT CHAPTER ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I am done with these [honestly, I am actually done with these. I'm just not going to include them anymore. #fuckthepolice]**

**AN: Hello all! So, first things first- I've gotta address one review asking about whether or not Santana and Dani are eventually get together- the answer is YES… Or at least.. I'm like 90% sure it's gonna end that way. Whether or not I decide to end the entire story with them together, this story is going to focus purely on the two of them and their **_**eventual**_** relationship- If I decide that they aren't gonna be together when this is over, then it'll probably just be mentioned briefly in a summary in the last chapter or so. **

**(If you guys have any input on this then be my guests)**

**And **_**secondly**_**,**** I want far too much to be one of those people who can sprinkle metaphors and sophisticated illusions oh-so-coolly in oh-so-casual conversation… But I'm not. And it completely shows in my writing, I know... JUST LET ME LIVE MY DREEEAAAMMMMM! #sorrynotsorry (#sorryifyouhateunecessaryhashtags)**

**OKAY NOW READ**

…

The straw was her guitar- and the guitar was her key. Dani found herself in a claustrophobic position, wedged, resting between the consequences of her own breakdown and walls she had built, dilapidated and dwindling from wear, tear and old age, which stood between her and her desire for a certain companionship. The structures would fall eventually due to the lack of concreteness in their base and the mightiness of the pressures that they were up against- that much she knew- but Dani was not known for her patience. And besides, in the middle of one of the walls was a door- and on that door was a lock- and considering the guitar was "her key," and the fact that she was fairly confident that this lock could be no one else's "lock," that meant that _this_ lock was "_her_ lock," fitted to "_her_ key." So, she figured "why the hell not?" and started jiggling away.

Her plan was simple: bring her guitar as an inanimate companion to her daily subway rides until her _living_ companion took interest and asked to hear a song or two- it was clever and it was clean- it was subtle in its appearance and subtle in its manipulation. It was perfect and it would work- Dani was far too stubborn for it not to.

….

Santana was uncomfortable with the very _idea_ of traveling to work that day and it showed. She left her house with her headphones on and her head down. She arrived at the diner just the same. There was no way that she was going to allow anyone to communicate with her that morning- _specifically_ if that someone was to be Dani. Santana was still shaken by the happenings of yesterday's commute and was unprepared to confront her own feelings about it, let alone any that the "secret celebrity" may want to share with her.

But she sure as hell wasn't going to lose a single minute of her precious sleep to catch an earlier train... and switching cars was simply _absurd_.

…

Both of their lives continued on, as did their joint commute.

Dani continued with her plan and its silent persistence; Santana kept ignoring.

Santana continued with her head down and her silent evasion; Dani kept staring;

...and staring… and staring. It was her way of setting a trap. She devised a whole scenario in her head: She would glue her eyes onto Santana until the woman looked up to meet her gaze- Dani would smile as sweetly as ever and Santana would be stuck- there was no way that they couldn't adhere, as far as Dani was concerned. Once she was successful with all of that, Dani would sneak a glance at her guitar, knowing the Latina's would follow... creating the perfect setting for the musical mind games to ensue.

And so, despite the nagging that was her better judgment, she began to regularly remove her sunglasses as she joined Santana, as she had become utterly- and rightfully- [self-]convinced that the impact of locking with each other's line of sight would be much more substantial if her prey was actually able to see predatory, spellbinding iris instead of face-eating, designer plastic.

Dani established a close acquaintance of the tint-free and unimaginably more beautiful scenery that she now enjoyed every morning and every evening on her way to and from work; she once even caught herself entertaining the idea of watching the mystery of a woman from afar (across the car) for every train ride remaining in the superstar's cloyingly peculiar life- and being nothing less than perfectly content doing so.

It was cliché and stupidly idealistic, but that's all Dani had ever known.

She would reject the temptation of the apple and that of any water-yielding rock along the path to her Israel; her ultimate destination; Santana. She would not give into the thirst, nor would she the hunger- There was no room to fall victim to the same evils that she was warned of in her youth. She would not succumb to greed- That would not be pure; No- instead, she would be patient- she would be patient and she would do this right.

She would wait for forever for the day that Santana's eyes peered her way...

The day was Wednesday.


End file.
